Charlotte Man Who Boasted About Having “The Keys To The Streets” Sentenced To Prison For Bank Fraud

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A Charlotte man was sentenced to prison today for his role in a scheme involving stolen checks, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Tyrell DeShaun Pace, 32, was sentenced to 35 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. On August 29, Pace pleaded guilty to three counts of financial institution fraud.

Rodney Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), which oversees North Carolina, joined U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.

"Too many checks are getting stolen from the mail," said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. "We continue to aggressively prosecute these cases and appreciate the work our law enforcement partners are doing to put an end to this crime."

According to filed court documents, beginning in April 2022, Pace engaged in a financial fraud scheme by obtaining stolen checks, including checks stolen from the U.S. Postal Service. After he obtained the stolen checks, Pace used text messages, phone calls, and social media platforms to advertise the stolen checks, and to lure people to buy the stolen checks. For example, on September 2, 2022, Pace wrote on social media "I got the keys to the streets," and with that post displayed a photograph showing ATM cards and stolen checks.

Pace also used the stolen checks to engage in fraudulent conduct that would generate large amounts of money. Court records show that Pace altered, forged, and counterfeited checks by, among other means, changing the payable amounts and the names of payees. Pace then deposited the altered checks at various banks and quickly withdrew the funds before the financial institutions could detect the fraud. The total face value of checks associated with the conspiracy was more than $646,600.

Pace will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In making today's announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked USPIS for their investigation and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for their substantial assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenny Smith of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.